On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider legislation aimed at reining in abusive patent litigation. But one of the bill's most important provisions, designed to make it easier to nix low-quality software patents, will be left on the cutting room floor. That provision was the victim of an aggressive lobbying campaign by patent-rich software companies such as IBM and Microsoft.

These companies also happen to have the largest lobbying corruption budgets. This is never going to change.

There is a new breed of biotech companies which are taking things to really really creepy venues. Forget Software Patents, there are groups moving proactively to allow for the patenting genes and other naturally occurring stuffs.

They had some recent setbacks to their positions lately, but they are amassing some serious $$$ for legal battles in that regard. Patenting nature is a greedy asshole's wet dream.

That's where it gets tricky. Some of these companies/industries depend on patents just for survival, mainly those in research. In other circles (say the medical or construction equivalent of OSnews), patents may well be revered.